After extensive research (and a lot of imbibing) for our list of the 25 best wine clubs, we decided there was a need to focus on premium wines. So, we went searching for the best premium wine clubs.
Joining a fine wine club is not like signing up for the average subscription box. Many clubs mail you wines you can buy at local grocers or wine shops. Premium wine clubs, through membership fees, buy large consignments of rare and expensive wines. This bulk purchasing allows them to provide these wines to their members at a price below retail. Each member, therefore, gets premium bottles of rare wine below retail prices.
If these prices are out of your comfort zone, check out our list of affordable wine clubs. That lists clubs that are priced a bit lower. This list will appeal to collectors or anyone looking for a memorable wine club gift.
At A Glance: Our Top Premium Wine Club Picks
- Aged Cabernet ClubOur Top Pick
- Diamond Wine Club93+ Rated Premium Wines
- Decanter Wine ClubCurated By Master Sommeliers
The Best Premium Wine Clubs
This list is in no particular order. We are confident each of the premium wine clubs on this list will hit the mark. Check out the websites of each wine club because they have multiple membership plans, and many of the plans are customizable.
When joining a premium wine club, you want to make sure you are getting value. We feel the high-end wine clubs we list below deliver on their promise of delivering high-quality and unique wines to you.
What Should You Expect From A Premium Wine Club
Premium wine clubs need to distinguish themselves from standard offerings. There are a few ways they can do this.
One way to tell if a wine club is serious about providing premium service is if it limits membership. A wine club that only allows a certain number of members will be able to deliver high-end small production wines. It's much harder to consistently deliver top-quality wine to a mass audience.
Another way to tell if a premium wine club is worth the extra money is to see what they have sent to members over the last 12 months. You can ask them to send you the list of their recent wines and then look up the bottles on a site like wine-searcher.com. Wine-Searcher lists wine prices at a range of retailers. If you can get the wines at a big discount from a retailer or if the wines seem to be generally available to the public, don't waste your money on a premium club.
Finally, a premium club should offer free shipping, a no-questions-asked return policy, tasting notes, and possibly some pairing ideas with each shipment.
The California Wine Club
Through a process of bulk buying from smaller family producers, this company has been able to unearth some gems in the past. In many cases, their buying policy means that some of their wines are almost exclusives simply because the California wine club bought out a small producer’s entire stock.
Aged Cabernet Series
You get two premium bottles of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon per shipment. You can opt for shipments every month, quarterly, or every other month.
The wines you receive are aged between 7 and 12 years. They are stored in optimal, temperature-controlled aging conditions. That's what makes this the best premium wine club for Cabernet lovers.
Along with the two Napa Valley Cabernets, you receive a guide to the winery that made the wine, and access to a personal wine consultant. You also get discounts if you reorder your favorite wines, low shipping costs, and a satisfaction guarantee. Prices may vary between shipments and you can cancel your subscription anytime.
Cost Per Month: The price of shipments can vary based on the wines they ship that month. On average this premium wine club charges $293/shipment for two bottles.
Shipping: The shipping costs are included in the club price.
Return Policy: California Wine Club offers a "love it" guarantee. They describe their promise as follows, "If you don't enjoy a bottle you receive from us, we will immediately send a replacement or refund your money. You don't even have to send the bottle back – really."
Click here to join the California Cabernet Wine Club
Gold Medal Wine Club
If somebody claims this is the best fine wine club among the ones listed here, then you would have a hard time proving them wrong. Their prices are very high, but every bottle you receive is exquisite. They note the number of bottles that were produced in order to show you how exclusive your wine is. This wine club is for people who know and love their wines.
Club Name: Diamond Wine Club
With this subscription, you only get access to wines that are rated 93+. That's one reason they are on our list of the best premium wine clubs.
This wine club sends you two bottles that are almost always of red wine. You can select your number of shipments, though you may only be able to select quarterly shipping because of limited supplies.
You may also pay a little extra for a Diamond Plus bottle, which is yet another highly-rated wine. The company claims its diamond wine club is limited to 500 recipients, so you may have to wait to get on their list.
Cost Per Quarter: The price of this exclusive wine club varies depending on the bottles they ship. The price typically ranges from $195-225 for two bottles.
Shipping: Shipments generally arrive in 3-5 days and there is a charge for shipping.
Return Policy: They don't explicitly offer a return guarantee. You are free to cancel your membership at any time.
Click Here To Join This Top Shelf Wine Club
Decanter Wine Club (from Wine Access)
Wine Access is one of our favorite places to buy wine online. The Napa-based wine retailer is staffed by wine industry insiders with a knack for finding great wines. Recently, Wine Access has partnered with some interesting wine industry brands, like Decanter, to create unique subscription options.
Club Name: The Rare Luxuries Club
The wine experts at Decanter will curate six bottles of collectible wine for you each quarter. This newly-launched club will give you access to wines that are in demand at top restaurants and by world-renown collectors.
If you want wines that will turn heads at your next dinner party, this is the club for you.
Europe's best-selling wine magazine and host to the world’s largest wine competition, Decanter features a tasting panel made up of some highly discerning palates. The expert tasters are all Masters in Wine, Sommeliers, or esteemed regional experts.
Cost Per Month: The Rare Luxuries Club from Decanter costs $475-$525 for 6 bottles every four months.
Shipping: The price of (standard) shipping is included in the club price.
Return Policy: They will replace any bottle that doesn't taste right with no questions asked.
Click Here To Join The Rare Luxuries Club from Decanter & Wine Access
SomMailier
SomMailier is not the cheapest wine club, but it is one of the best places to get French wine online. You may receive bottles from some amazing batches of French wine, and in many cases, to repeat the experience, you would have to go to France and pay a producer a darn sight more than you paid SomMailier.
Club Name: C’est La Vie
If you opt for a C’est La Vie membership, you get three bottles of wine every three months. You can choose to have red and white, only red, or only white wine. Each shipment also comes with information about the producers of the wine.
The SomMailier company puts a lot of effort and thought into the wines they pick, but they do a very bad job of explaining that fact on their website. For example, the “Wine of the Month” wine club has videos on their website explaining how they pick their wines and why you should trust them, whereas the SomMailier landing pages seem to think you already know and trust their brand.
Cost Per Month: $110 per quarter for 3 bottles.
Shipping: Shipping charges are around $15 for this premium wine club.
Return Policy: 100% guarantee. If you get a bad bottle, they will refund your money or replace the bottle.
You Can Learn More About Joining The SomMailier Premium Wine Club Here.
Cellars Wine Club
This company is a strong contender for the best fine wine club. They aren't quite the best, but their offering is outstanding, and they are up against some rather stiff competition. If you are slowly becoming a wine connoisseur, this is your group.
Club Name: The 90+ Point Club
Set your subscription using their easy online tool, and receive two bottles of wine per month. You get tasting notes on each wine, and you may set your wine preferences so that you are more likely to receive wines that you really enjoy. There is a satisfaction guarantee, and you can cancel your subscription at any time. Their premium club subscription is the cheapest and most popular, but their 90+ point club is the most highly rated.
Cost Per Month: The 90+ Club from Cellars costs $79 per month for two bottles.
Shipping: The price of (standard) shipping is included in the club price.
Return Policy: They will replace any bottle that doesn't taste right with no questions asked.
Click Here To Join The Cellars 90+ Premium Wine Club
The Panel
They promote themselves through various events, most of which their members may attend. But, their biggest selling point is their access to very rare and premium wines. If your wine-connoisseur friends say the Panel is the best fine wine club, you would be hard-pressed to argue. Some of the wines they have featured in the past will never be available again.
Exclusive Wine Club Memberships
They have the Exploration Club, which is the cheaper option, and the Elite Club membership which will cost you $299 a month. The exploration club sends three bottles per month, and the elite club sends six bottles of wine per month. The selling point for this company is its wines, but they also tack on a series of events and functions onto its memberships. Such functions are only of benefit to people who live near the Panel office in California. On the whole, the company picks some very good wines and has a few added perks as well.
Cost Per Month: $299 month for six bottles.
Shipping: Shipping charges vary based on where you are shipping to.
Return Policy: They accept returns for wine that is corked or flawed. You must send the wine back to them.
Wine Access
Wine Access is a wine retailer that discovers and markets some reasonable deals on premium wine. They also have a membership plan where you receive expensive bottles of wine for a little less than what you would pay from other wine retailers. They have a mixed online reputation but are capable of getting their hands on fairly rare wines that you would otherwise be unable to buy.
Club Name: The Wine Access Club
You get six bottles per year, in shipments of two, in March, June, September, and December. You get access to the story behind each wine, and the company has a fair share of ad-hoc offers for you to enjoy. The curators are fairly new to the game but even though they could use a few more wrinkled faces in their group, they do know their wine. Great care is taken throughout the whole buying experience, to the point that your wines are shipped in temperature-controlled vehicles. However, before you jump online and sign up for six bottles per year, you should manage your expectations when it companies to delivery times. This wine group is notorious for setting delivery dates and then failing to live up to them. You will get your wine, but the question is...when?
Cost Per Month: $150 per quarter for six bottles.
Shipping: Shipping charges are included in the price.
Return Policy: They do not have a "set in stone" return policy. You are directed to contact their customer service and they will try to resolve your issue.
Interested In Joining? Click Here
The Grand Tour
As wine curators go, these are the pop music or mainstream cinema of curators while most others are underground jazz and indie films. This company appeals to the widest audience, which doesn't make them bad, but hardcore oenophiles may find the Grand Tour a little unadventurous.
Grand Tour Monthly Subscription
A Grand Tour subscription is by no means cheap, but compared to the other wine clubs in this article, Grand Tour is the most reasonably priced. Each month you get four bottles of wine, you will get tasting notes, and you get the story behind each wine.
Typically, you get two whites and two reds, but they occasionally throw in sparkling wine or rose wine. It sounds like a novice thing to say, but even if this is not the best premium wine club, it may appeal to the broadest audience because the wine variety means there will be at least one wine you love.
What Makes a Good Wine Club?
In essence, the best premium wine club is the one that sends you the best wine at your chosen intervals. As soon as it stops sending good wine, you should cancel it. Being in a wine club means all its members get to pool their money to buy crates of wine in bulk. Yet, as “The Wine Access Club” says on their website, it is not always about price, it is often about access. The buying power that the best fine wine club admins have is the reason they are able to unearth consignments of wine that the general public would never otherwise be able to experience.
Premium Wine Clubs That Dropped Off Our List
These high-end wine clubs are not available right now. We will consider adding them back to our list if they become available again.
